Documentary
NY Indies
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NY Indies

2005
Featuring interviews with notable movie personalities such as Oscar winner Matt Damon and producer-director Doug Liman, this documentary chronicles the state of American independent cinema and the twisting, turning path it's taken to get there. Paying special attention to what distinguishes indie films from standard Hollywood fare, this program examines how producers, directors and others keep the vibrant independent film scene alive and kicking.

Directed by:

  • Sylvie Zade
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    Monster in the Forest: The Story of the Cyclop
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    Monster in the Forest: The Story of the Cyclop

    2005
    Filmmakers Louise Faure and Anne Julien reacquaint the world with Jean Tinguely's monumental "Monster in the Forest" -- the 300 tons of metal that make up the sculptor's Cyclop installation in a park outside of Paris. Begun in 1969, it took 20 years for Tinguely and a group of artist friends (including his wife, Niki de Saint Phalle) to complete the towering twisted-metal giant with one glittering eye and innards of gears and gadgets.

    Directed by:

  • Louise Faure
  • Anne Julien
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    A Language of Passion
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    A Language of Passion

    2008
    Explore modern Los Angeles's creative landscape through the eyes of its most gifted Latino artists. This bilingual portrait of five talents examines the city's influence on their work, and how their art reflects their surroundings. Muralist Eloy Torrez, sculptors Rude Calderon and Cecilia Miguez, painter Arturo Mallmann and printmaker Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin discuss their creative passions and their thoughts on the metropolis that unites them.

    Directed by:

  • Patricia Cunliffe
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    Showbiz Ballyhoo
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    Showbiz Ballyhoo

    1983
    Drawing on an extensive library of archival footage, this made-for-cable documentary looks at the star system behind Hollywood's golden age. Besides showing how actors go from screen tests to stardom, the film examines how the advent of talkies created a new crop of celebrities while ruining many silent-film stars' careers. Bob Hope, Vivien Leigh, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Humphrey Bogart are among the icons featured.

    Directed by:

  • Norman Sedawie
  • Gail Gibson Sedawie
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    We Are the Children
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    We Are the Children

    2008
    While music icon Michael Jackson endured a five-month trial in 2004 and 2005, a group of his most loyal fans gathered to show their support for the King of Pop. In this frank and moving documentary, filmmaker Dianna Dilworth probes this California subculture and finds a world of massive music collections, spot-on impersonations, fun dance parties and vigils at Jackson's famed home, Neverland.

    Directed by:

  • Dianna Dilworth
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    With Jerzy Grotowski, Nienadowka 1980
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    With Jerzy Grotowski, Nienadowka 1980

    1980
    Avant-garde theater artist Jerzy Grotowski searches for the people and locations he remembers and reflects on what he endured during a remarkable and traumatic childhood experience in this compelling personal documentary. In 1980, he brought a film crew with him as he visited Nienadówka, Poland, the village where he, his mother and brother were hidden by local peasants during the vicious Nazi occupation.

    Directed by:

  • Jill Godmilow
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    A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary
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    A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary

    2004
    Documentarian Gayle Kirschenbaum captures the remarkable bond between dogs and their owners in this inspiring film. Searching for a spouse, Kirschenbaum equipped her shih tzu, Chelsea, with a canine cam (giving viewers a dog's-eye view of the world), and the duo roamed New York City's streets to find Mr. Right -- and stardom for the pooch. But the movie unexpectedly shifts gears after Sept. 11, when Chelsea discovers her calling as a therapy dog.

    Directed by:

  • Gayle Kirschenbaum
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    Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero
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    Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero

    2010
    Using rare footage from his own collection as well as interviews and photographs, this documentary profiles Óscar Romero, the Salvadoran priest whose championing of the poor and downtrodden against a corrupt government made him a global hero.

    Directed by:

  • Ana Carrigan
    • rating:1.9.png 1.9 Average Rating


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    Sara Gomez: An Afro-Cuban Filmmaker
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    Sara Gomez: An Afro-Cuban Filmmaker

    2005
    After studying literature, piano and Afro-Cuban ethnography, Sara Gomez turned her attention to film, emerging as a thoughtful chronicler of Afro-Cuban cultural and gender issues, particularly in her best-known work, De Cierta Manera. Swiss documentarian Alessandra Muller combines vintage archival footage of interviews with Gomez's husband, children and friends to create a vivid portrait of Cuba's first female director.

    Directed by:

  • Alessandra Muller
    • rating:1.9.png 1.9 Average Rating


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    Frontrunner
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    Frontrunner

    2008
    Following the presidential run of Dr. Massouda Jalal in Afghanistan's initial democratic election, this compelling documentary details her experience as the first woman to run for the highest office since the exile of the Taliban. A mother and a physician, Jalal courageously defied the Taliban with her persistent advocacy for children before facing death threats and braving bomb attacks during her presidential campaign.

    Directed by:

  • Virginia Anita Williams
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    Cine Manifest
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    Cine Manifest

    2006
    The members of a 1970s San Francisco Marxist film collective reunite 30 years after the group's disbandment to examine the professional and personal consequences of their daring social experiment. Footage from the collective's many short films and two feature films, along with an atmospheric soundtrack by David Schickele, highlight this meditation on art and idealism. Judy Irola, the group's only female member, directs.

    Directed by:

  • Judy Irola
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    Cavallo Behind Bars
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    Cavallo Behind Bars

    2006
    Spain's efforts to extradite businessman Ricardo Miguel Cavallo for torture, murder and other heinous crimes he allegedly committed while part of Argentina's ruling military junta from 1976 to 1983 are chronicled in this documentary. Shula Erenberg and Laura Imperiale's film calls for justice and explains the tangled international legal issues involved with Spain's efforts to try Cavallo, a man once known as "Serpico."

    Directed by:

  • Shula Erenberg
  • Laura Imperiale
  • Maria Ines Roque
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    Another World Is Possible
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    Another World Is Possible

    2006
    Oded Grajew, founder of the World Social Forum, explains the organization's origins, inner workings and methods of collaboration and coalition building designed to deliver world peace -- one campaign at a time. Grajew discusses the chief economic factors driving globalization and offers an alternative market structure that can effectively benefit both individuals and companies, while simultaneously driving a meaningful social policy.

    Directed by:

  • Rob Rooy
  • Susan Davis
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    City2City
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    City2City

    2006
    Cityscapes have influenced artists since the birth of the metropolis. This compilation of previously unreleased films offers 10 aesthetic visions by 10 diverse artists, each inspired by urban energy and architecture. The films, from artists such as John Smith, Kentaro Taki, Marina Chernikova, Augustin Gimel, Toby Cornish and others, take viewers on a unique cinematic tour of various cities.

    Directed by:

  • Dudouet & Kaplan
  • Marina Chernikova
  • Nose Chan
  • John Smith
  • Toby Cornish
  • Alli Savolainen
  • Kentaro Taki
  • Pablo Altes
  • Ulrich Fischer
  • Augustin Gimel
    • rating:1.6.png 1.6 Average Rating


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    America: The Story of Us: Disc 1
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    America: The Story of Us: Disc 1

    2010
    This disc includes the following episodes: "Rebels," "Revolution," "Westward" and "Division."

    Directed by:

  • Nick Green
  • Marion Milne
  • Andrew Chater
  • Jenny Ash
  • Clare Beavan
  • Renny Bartlett
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    Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time to Hate: Act 2: A Time to Hate
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    Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time to Hate: Act 2: A Time to Hate

    2011
    Helen Whitney's Forgiveness explores the act of forgiveness through a wide range of stories, from adultery and personal betrayal to the post-genocidal reconciliation of nations, highlighting the psychological impacts of this crucial sentiment.

    Directed by:

  • Helen Whitney
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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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